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“I've definitely been seeing a lot more ticks,” said Greg Krayer. “I play a lot of golf and I’ve actually been finding them all over the place, be it on my shorts or on my feet. They're all over the place lately.”

Todaro said it is true that ticks have been on the rise in Allegheny County for the past 30 years. But the small black bugs many are calling the Health Department about are likely billbugs.

It is not easy to tell the difference. The best way to differentiate between the two is to look at how they behave, not what they look like.

“It seems this year, we've had a bumper crop of billbugs, it's called a blue grass billbug,” said Todaro.

Some are reporting seeing swarms of ticks. But Todaro said ticks do not gather in large groups. You may see one or two at a time.

Also, ticks are looking to feed on human flesh. They suck blood over a course of days if you don’t catch them.

Billbugs are just looking to mate this time of year. They feast on grass, not blood.